Team Blaze made history to become the first all-girls team chosen to represent India at the F1 in Schools World Finals hosted in Melbourne, Australia during March 2021

At the recently concluded F1 in Schools India Virtual National Championship event, Team Blaze was first runner-up and won the prestigious Women in Motorsports award along with winning the Pressure Challenge award. A humongous 79 teams from across India competed after qualifying through regional events and were aiming for a place in the top 3 to become part of Team India.

                                            

Team Blaze consists of four girls, Freya Thakral, Amaira Anand, Jasmeh Dang and Tamara Chadwick. With a combined average age of 12, these girls outshone teams of students who were often six years older than them. They were nominated for six awards out of which they won two and qualified for the world finals as 1st runner-up.

                                           

In one of the most hotly contested national events in F1 in Schools India’s history, teams came up with some amazing car models and produced fantastic portfolios and even a virtual pit booth. They took part in gruelling presentations highlighting the culmination of a year-long campaign. The girls produced one of the best cars in the competition and even launched an app called Blaze Race. They were endorsed by Mr. Suresh Raina, Ms. Hema Malini and even Sir Philip Robert Barton KCMG OBE, the British High Commissioner to India.

                                                

"Girls are often not encouraged to take part in such competitions which are male-dominated. We encountered only three all-girls teams in the competition. Our goal was to raise the profile of Girls in STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) across India and hopefully encourage more girls to take part in such events" said Freya Thakral, Design Engineer of Team Blaze and recent Diana Award winner.

                                   

She further highlighted the challenges encountered; “One of the biggest challenges is sponsorship and often companies aren’t interested in sponsoring young teams in competitions such as these. Another is access to quality manufacturing and testing facilities so we really need to work with the systems we have access to at school and seek collaboration with industry where possible”

“Indian educational system still lacks R&D and it’s a very nascent stage for F1 in Schools India. We are planning to collaborate with the government in promoting this competition to other small cities” said Mr. Yash Raj Singh, In-Country chief of F1 in Schools, India.

Team Blaze now aims to become the first Indian team to win an award at the World Finals and aims to put up a strong challenge for the F1 in Schools World Championship next year.

F1 in Schools is an international STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) competition for school children (aged 9-19), in which groups of 3-6 students have to design and manufacture a miniature "car" using CAD/CAM design tools. The competition allows children to innovate and work collaboratively to produce the best car possible. They build brand associations, raise funds, display prudent financial and time management and market themselves and their sponsors through creative campaigns.

Maheshwara Medical College & Hospital, Hyderabad, in the Forefront to Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic in India

Maheshwara Medical College & Hospital, Hyderabad, in the Forefront to Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic in India.

As the world wrestles with unprecedented and cataclysmic implications of COVID-19, a pandemic that shook up society, we are facing a humanitarian crisis unlike any other. More than that, our social fabric and cohesion are under stress.

Dealing with these unforeseen challenges has taken a damaging toll on people across the world.  The healthcare sector is at the crux of this gargantuan challenge, and the private sector has risen to the occasion by offering the government all the support it needs, including testing support, preparation of isolation wards for COVID-19 patients, and deploying staff and equipment in identified nodal hospitals.

India, like most parts of the world, is in a race against time to procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), N95 masks, and surgical masks for the safety of its medical teams fighting to halt the spread of the coronavirus. This has generated a huge demand for protective equipment for doctors and health workers across the country, and state governments are struggling to cope.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended standard protective equipment such as N95 masks, PPE kits, and surgical masks with an offset to their limited availability. Healthcare workers have been drawing attention to the shortage of social media and through professional bodies. Such lapses aren’t merely a health risk; they severely deplete the staff strength at hospitals. As a result, many doctors have resorted to resignation and withdrawal to treating patients under these conditions with minimal protection. This leads to a miserable state of existing doctors to treat a large number of patients.

The state of Telangana continues to witness spikes each day, and the situation seems to be deteriorating, primarily because the state hospitals are beyond the means of the common citizen. It is very important that the government and the private medical teaching hospitals get together more effectively in Telangana and rise to the occasion in combating this deadly virus.

In view of COVID pandemic, Maheshwara Medical College & Hospital, Hyderabad, has initiated “Maheshwara Free PPE Program” to do its part to safeguard the medical fraternity in the state of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Kerala, and Delhi by donating PPE kits and N95 masks to the Government COVID Hospitals. These initiatives are carried by Industry Tycoon and Vice-chairman of Maheshwara, Sir T.G.S Mahesh.

Maheshwara Medical College & Hospital, Hyderabad, is a 650-bed multispecialty hospital, with 21 departments, equipped with world-class infrastructure, dedicated staff, and with 24-hour emergency healthcare services from central casualty, OBG casualty, trauma care center, ICU, ICCU, SICU, NICU, PICU, laboratory, state-of-the-art blood bank, pharmacy, and ambulance services.

A team from the World Health Organization (WHO) recently visited the campus and appreciated the state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities and free health-care services provided to the poor and needy. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of Telangana has also identified Maheshwara as one of the COVID Prescreening & Quarantine Centers in Hyderabad.

Government COVID hospitals in need of PPE kits and N95 masks may contact Dr. Savitha Sukhdev, the deputy director of Maheshwara Medical College & Hospital, Hyderabad, at +91 9133043333.

More information about Maheshwara Medical College can be found on their official website and on their Facebook.

 

To conserve the Indian fishing ecosystem and to reduce Bycatch, Tufropes launches ‘Responsible Fishing Initiative’ on World Conservation Day

• Tufropes, on World Conservation Day is launching, ‘Responsible Fishing Initiative’, a program focussed on providing effective solutions to counter the bycatch problem persistent in the Indian fishing ecosystem and to generate awareness about the impact of bycatch amongst the fishing communities of India.

• Bycatch, which is fishing of non-target and small and juvenile fishes, directly impacts the fishing ecosystem.

• Small and juvenile fishes killed as bycatch play a vital role in the ocean's food web chain, allowing fish populations to regenerate. Without them, the food chain and coastal communities’ livelihoods are at risk, warn marine researchers.

• This will support the Government of India’s and Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)’s programs to reduce bycatch and promote sustainable fishing practices.

The fishing ecosystem of India is under tremendous pressure because of unsustainable fishing practises, rampant across the country. Plagued by overfishing, bycatch, depleting resources, decreasing population of fish, and the lack of urgency to deal with this crisis, India is looking at an unpredictable future of the fisheries industry. India has been experiencing a consistent decline in the coastal marine fish production over the last few years.

• Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) data reveals a 9% decline in overall fish catch in 2018 as compared to 2017
• Massive decline of 54% of Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps) catch, a fish found abundantly in the Arabian Sea, particularly the coastal waters that cover Karnataka.

Bycatch is amongst the biggest threats to the fishing ecosystem. Bycatch is defined as unintentional fishing of non-target species, and of small and juvenile fishes. Usually thrown away and sold as waste, bycatch roughly accounts for half of the catch yield caught by commercial fishing boats and trawlers.

The small and juvenile fishes killed as bycatch play a vital role in the ocean's food web chain, allowing fish populations to regenerate. Without them, the food chain and coastal communities’ livelihoods are at risk, warn marine researchers.

Reducing bycatch is the key to conserve the fishing ecosystem. This can be done by replacing diamond codend fishing nets with square codend fishing nets. Small and juvenile fishes when caught in the fishing net can easily escape from square codends ensuring their survival, regeneration and a balanced fishing ecosystem.

On World Conservation Day, Tufropes has launched their social program, ‘Responsible Fishing Initiative’, which is dedicated towards providing effective solutions to counter the bycatch problem persistent in the Indian fishing ecosystem and to generate awareness about the impact of bycatch amongst the fishing community of India.

Under this initiative, Tufropes through various mediums will educate the fishing community about the sustainable effective solutions of reducing bycatch and bring awareness about the long term impact of bycatch on fisheries industry.

RFI will also sensitize the fish consumers through its digital communication about the evident threat to the fisheries sector, and generate awareness to proactively not purchase small or juvenile fishes from the market.

This initiative will support the Government of India’s and Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)’s existing programs across coastal states to encourage sustainable fishing. Network for Fish Quality Management & Sustainable Fishing (NETFISH) has already been working extensively to develop sustainable fishing practises amongst India Fishing communities.

Launched on World Conservation Day, Responsible Fishing Initiative aims to reach out to the fishing communities of Orissa, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Speaking at the launch, Saurabh Goel, director of Tufropes said, “Responsible Fishing Initiatives is one of our ambitious projects to generate awareness about unsustainable fishing practices. We launched it on World Conservation Day, as the main objective of the program is to conserve the fisheries ecosystem.”

“Fishing has always been a key sector for India, generating lakhs of employment and crores in revenue. Imagine, if we don’t act now and substantially reduce bycatch what will happen within the next decade? There would be no fishes in the sea.” he adds.

About Tufropes Pvt Ltd

Tufropes Pvt. Ltd., an Indian company with a presence in 87 countries, is the global leader in industrial ropes and nets solution. Delivering leading edge solutions for past 27 years in sectors like fishing and aquaculture, marine and shipping, agriculture and horticulture, sports and recreation, and industrial and safety, Tufropes is a one of the world’s largest manufacturer of ropes & nets.

Migoi Studios launches Profeud - India's first fantasy esports app

Currently offering CS:GO on it's platform with other esports titles in the pipeline
Migoi Studios Pvt Ltd has launched Profeud, India's first fantasy esports app on June 3rd. The app allows users to create fantasy esports teams based on current matches and are ranked based on the actual players' performance. The platform offers both free contests and cash contests of various denominations. Profeud opens up an interesting arena in the daily fantasy sports market which has been dominated by traditional sporting events like cricket and football. Currently, it offers CS:GO matches with fantasy contests for other esports titles in the works.
                                               
Profeud co-founder Robin Dhar said that with the growing esports market in India, they have bigger plans for the app and they hope to make Profeud a cohesive platform for all things gaming in the future. The platform has a tie up with a leading esports data provider which allows them coverage of virtually all the tournaments and matches being played.
                                                  
Along with fantasy contests, the app also includes live streams of matches being played. The app interface is slick and minimalist and with a quick tutorial on first launch, the user experience is top notch. Users create their 5-a-side fantasy team with players from both the teams involved and compete against other users for a chance to top the rankings and win.
                                                     
Profeud is available for both Android and iOS devices and can be found on www.profeud.com and https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1510937024

QuickRecharge.ae creates ripples in the Mobile Recharge Industry

Connect with Pakistan with exclusive rates for Mobile Recharge.

QuickRecharge.ae is connected with 100+ countries and over 700 networks including Pakistan and its mobile operators such as Mobilink, Warid, Telenor, Ufone and Zong.

Why not show your loved ones that you care and send mobile top-up at to your friends and family in Pakistan so can talk more and pay less. This groundbreaking service of QuickRecharge.ae is a limited time offer, offering mobile top-up rates starting from USD 1 (PKR 166.10) and onwards; together with lightning speed mobile top-up in all cities from Karachi to Peshawar.

The services of QuickRecharge.ae not only makes it easily accessible in all areas of Pakistan, making it easier to connect with your family, as its high speed and proficiency saves time and a lot of money as well.

Important features of QuickRecharge.ae, which make it preferable:

• Guarantees 100% transaction success;
• Lowest price and best deals;
• Instant credit transfer;
• No hidden fees;
• Easy to use checkout process;
• Secure Payment methods;
• Friendly support by WhatsApp, E-mail and Phone is various languages;
• Hassles free fully online transfer without any need to download applications on device;
• Fully PCI DSS compliant which makes your transactions safe and secure for online payments;

How it works

Mobile top-up:

A very simple method to recharge mobile efficiently.

At QuickRecharge.ae just select the country where you want to send mobile recharge. Enter the phone number of a prepaid phone, the website will show you a chart with a variety of affordable pricing packages which you can choose from. Select the package of your choice and click on the payment method, make the payment. The request is then verified, processed, and executed successfully in real-time, within not more than a few seconds. You recipient phone is recharged automatically and the receiver is also notified through a message on the phone.

Gift cards:

QuickRecharge.ae is offering Netflix, Amazon.ae, iTunes UAE and Steam gift cards for the UAE accounts.

It is a great opportunity for its customers to send Gift cards to their family and friends or it can be utilised by the customers themselves.

Sending a gift card is always works and plays an important role to upkeep your relationship with your family and friends. It is a reward for the people who are always on your mind and near to your heart as well as a token of love and care.

So hurry up and rush to QuickRecharge.ae to avail these amazing offers as we make caring cost less while making you rich at heart!

Utkarsh Dutta: Journalist Turned Digital Strategist is changing the Social Media game

While some of the 20-year-old people are busy mugging up notes to pass their college semester exams and others are busy planning school reunions. At the age of 20, Utkarsh Dutta has become a digital influencer and is reaching new horizons on social media. Apart from this, he is also helping other people grow their social media presence and is one of the biggest game-changers.

Apart from being a digital Strategist and Social media influencer he is also a professional journalist having work experience ranging from startups to the big giants in the industry. Due to his exposure to the Media and Entertainment industry, He has a very well connected network and deep knowledge about how each type of content needs to be marketed.

Utkarsh soon plans to open his own digital marketing company and is busy hiring people that can match up to his expectations as he prefers the quality of work over everything. These days he is helping people change their social media game through his Instagram handle (@utkarshdutta13).

When asked about his opinions on social media, He says "You need to provide quality content and services for the people and the people will provide for you".

He has his Youtube channel (Utkarsh Dutta Entertainment) where he voices his own opinions on everything that's happening in the world. In such a young age, Utkarsh already has a stable client base consisting of both established and upcoming creators.

AMTD Group and GlobalLinker join forces to support Asian SMEs in their digitalization and global expansion

AMTD Group, AMTD Digital (collectively “AMTD”) and GlobalLinker signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement today. The virtual signing ceremony was witnessed by Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer, and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The strategic partnership aims at providing comprehensive solutions to enable and empower SMEs to help the long-term development and competitiveness of SMEs, including by contributing to the Business Sans Borders (BSB) initiative under the framework set by the MAS.

AMTD has built a multi-dimensional and cross-sector SpiderNet ecosystem that is continuously expanding to connect and promote collaboration between its partners, including shareholders, clients, government bodies, and industry associations, etc. GlobalLinker, through its unique solution for global business networking for SMEs & Startups, is creating a global community of Small & Medium Enterprises and is committed to making SME businesses simpler, more profitable and enjoyable. GlobalLinker is one of the technology partners of the MAS’ BSB initiative.

Together, AMTD and GlobalLinker will endeavor to add to this growing SME community and contribute to BSB’s AI-driven global solutions hub to foster SME digitalization. BSB is established by the MAS, and is a “meta-hub” or connector of several SME-centric platforms. By connecting these different platforms, BSB helps SMEs to access a much larger ecosystem of buyers, sellers, logistics service providers, financing, and digital solution providers more seamlessly. BSB utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to enable SMEs to discover prices and sales opportunities in a larger global marketplace, access various supply chains, and easily source and utilise relevant digital and financial solutions. In late 2019, MAS announced the successful completion of the BSB Phase One Proof-of- Concept (POC).

GlobalLinker will officially join and become a permanent and core member of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, while AMTD will join GlobalLinker’s SME network. The two parties will work together to facilitate the digitalization of SMEs in Asia, help accelerate their global expansion, with Singapore as the strategic hub to showcase the power of the partnership. Through its proprietary SpiderNet ecosystem, AMTD will connect SMEs on GlobalLinker’s platform to AMTD’s global resources and network.

AMTD will become the preferred financial services partner of GlobalLinker, as well as for SMEs on GlobalLinker’s platform. AMTD will bring its ecosystem partners and subsidiaries such as but not limited to AMTD Digital, AMTD International, AMTD Risk Solutions, PolicyPal, CapBridge, FOMO Pay, Airstar Bank (one of the 8 virtual banks in Hong Kong, a joint-venture between AMTD and Xiaomi Corporation) and Singa Bank (subject to the approval of MAS for a digital wholesale bank license whereby AMTD is the lead and largest shareholder), to empower GlobalLinker and SMEs on the GlobalLinker platform.

Mr. Calvin Choi, AMTDs Chairman and CEO comments, “The strategic partnership between AMTD and GlobalLinker would leverage on AMTD’s strong foundation in the Greater Bay Area and connectivity with the global markets, and further enable SMEs to connect outside of Southeast Asia. AMTD Digital and our ecosystem partners’ one-stop digital offering will help SMEs to accelerate their

Digitalization, provide them with full lifecycle solutions, empower their globalization, and contribute to Business Sans Borders.”

Mr. Sameer Vakil, Co-Founder and CEO of GlobalLinker said, “At GlobalLinker, we are deeply committed to offering SMEs collective efficiencies and economies by building a global community. We have always believed in the power of partnership to build an SME ecosystem which can provide SMEs such efficiencies and economies in a more comprehensive manner. Our strategic partnership with AMTD, we will bring an entire ecosystem of like-minded companies and capabilities from AMTD & SpiderNet to GlobalLinker SMEs and likewise, will offer the best of GlobalLinker to all the SMEs within the AMTD ecosystem. This combined power will allow us both to better serve the business growth ambitions of SMEs, who are undoubtedly, the pillars of every economy.”

Mr. Mohanty, extended his congratulations to AMTD and GlobalLinker. He said that BSB aims to ignite a sea change in the way SMEs around the world can easily connect digitally with each other. He welcomes AMTD and GlobalLinker’s persistent efforts to empower SMEs and look forward to see the strategic alliance to contribute to the Phase Two Pilot of BSB, starting first in Singapore, to assist SMEs in their real transactions.

In Picture - Top Row left Sameer Vakil (cofounder & CEO GlobalLinker); right – Satyam Agrawal (President ASEAN & Global Head Financial Services at GlobalLinker) & Michelle Li (CEO, AMTD Digital); Middle Row left Calvin Choi (Chairman & CEO AMTD Global); right Jonathan Chen (Founder & CEO Capital Bridge Financial);

Bottom Row left Sopnendu Mohanty (Chief Fintech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore); right Val Yap (Founder & CEO PolicyPal);

AMTD has significant strategic layouts in Singapore to empower local entrepreneurs and community: Singapore is AMTD Digital’s headquarters and AMTD Group’s regional headquarters. AMTD, as a

Founding partner, is committed to providing long-term support to the Singapore FinTech Festival, which is the world's largest of its kind. AMTD is the first corporate founding member of the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN), for which our chairman Calvin Choi was invited to serve as its board member. In April 2020, AMTD partnered with AFIN to establish the S$50 million AMTD ASEAN- Solidarity Fund. In May 2020, AMTD, MAS, Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) announced the launch of a S$6 million MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant to support Singapore-based FinTech firms amid the challenging business climate caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. AMTD is leading a consortium comprising of Xiaomi Corporation, Funding Societies and SP Group and has submitted an application for the Digital Wholesale Bank License in Singapore.

To consummate its one-stop digital financial solutions to Asian SMEs and consumers, AMTD Digital has recently announced several landmark transactions in Singapore’s FinTech space through its unique “fusion-in” programme, including the acquisitions of the controlling stakes in (i) PolicyPal, Singapore’s InsurTech pioneer and first graduate of MAS’ FinTech Sandbox; (ii) CapBridge Financial, Singapore’s first regulated securities exchange for digital assets and private companies and Singapore’s leading integrated private market ecosystem platform; and (iii) FOMO Pay, the one-stop QR code and digital payment solution provider in Southeast Asia. These acquisitions reflect AMTD’s fusion-in strategy by integrating innovative companies into its unique SpiderNet ecosystem, and its ambition to continue to build out its one-stop cross-market intelligent digital financial services platform. AMTD will continue to bring its capital markets expertise and extensive connections with global new economy companies to Southeast Asia, and empower more entrepreneurs in their innovation and development, and finally interconnect with the global markets.

About AMTD Group

AMTD Group, parent company of AMTD Digital and AMTD International, is a leading comprehensive financial services conglomerate, with businesses in investment banking, asset management, digital financial solutions; and non-financial services areas including strategic investments, real estate and education.

AMTD International (NYSE: HKIB; SGX: HKB), a subsidiary of AMTD Group, is the largest independent investment bank in Asia and one of Asia’s largest independent asset management companies, and has been a leading investor in FinTech and new economy sectors. AMTD International successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019, representing the first Hong Kong headquartered financial institution listed on NYSE. On April 8, 2020, AMTD International completed its successful listing on SGX-ST, which marks a series of historical milestones, including:

• The first company ever to be dual listed on NYSE and SGX;
• The first company featuring dual-class shares (DCS) listed on SGX;
• The largest financial institution headquartered in China and Hong Kong listed on SGX as measured by market capitalisation;
• The first Hong Kong financial institution listed on SGX;
• The largest company in terms of market capitalisation listed in Singapore year to date; and
• The first company to conduct a digital listing ceremony in

AMTD Digital, the digital solutions arm of AMTD Group headquartered in Singapore, covering digital financial services, digital media marketing and data intelligence, digital connectors and ecosystem,

And digital investments. AMTD Digital aims to build a one-stop, comprehensive, cross-market, and innovative digital financial services platform.

About GlobalLinker

GlobalLinker is an AI powered platform ‘Building a Global Community of Digitized SMEs’. It is a unique Business Networking solution dedicated to serve SMEs with the purpose to make ‘the business growth of SMEs globally, simpler, more profitable and enjoyable’. GlobalLinker has built a global community of over 300,000 SMEs from over 150 countries by Co-Branding with Financial Institutions, Corporations, Trade Associations and Governments to bring SMEs to a common platform. SMEs can access a range of solutions to build their Digital Presence (Digital Profile, e-Store, Product Catalog, Order & Inventory Management, Company Intranet, HRMS, etc.); Network & Collaborate (create new business connections and a rolodex of SME connections, using GlobalLinker’s patented technology, join relevant SME groups & events); have Up-to-Date Knowledge with curated business articles, news, discussions, events & webinars; access a range of Offers & Deals pre-negotiated for them using the ‘Collective Purchasing Power’ of SMEs on the Platform.

GlobalLinker has 10 Co-Branded programs in partnership with:

• Leading corporations - Mastercard, HSBC, ICICI Bank, Union Bank of Philippines, Siam Commercial Bank, Thailand; ; leading Telcom company - Vodafone Idea;
• Prominent Trade Associations - Retailer’s Association of India (RAI), Bombay Industries Association and
• Government Organizations - Telangana State in India and Federation of India Export Organizations (FIEO);

The over 300,000 SMEs on GlobalLinker have made more than a million business connections and are finding the benefits of being part of a single and growing business community. GlobalLinker is also one of the founding member and Technology Partner of the MAS’ Business Sans Borders (BSB) initiative.

AMTD Group, AMTD Digital (collectively “AMTD”) and GlobalLinker signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement today. The virtual signing ceremony was witnessed by Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer, and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The strategic partnership aims at providing comprehensive solutions to enable and empower SMEs to help the long-term development and competitiveness of SMEs, including by contributing to the Business Sans Borders (BSB) initiative under the framework set by the MAS.

AMTD has built a multi-dimensional and cross-sector SpiderNet ecosystem that is continuously expanding to connect and promote collaboration between its partners, including shareholders, clients, government bodies, and industry associations, etc. GlobalLinker, through its unique solution for global business networking for SMEs & Startups, is creating a global community of Small & Medium Enterprises and is committed to making SME businesses simpler, more profitable and enjoyable. GlobalLinker is one of the technology partners of the MAS’ BSB initiative.

Together, AMTD and GlobalLinker will endeavor to add to this growing SME community and contribute to BSB’s AI-driven global solutions hub to foster SME digitalization. BSB is established by the MAS, and is a “meta-hub” or connector of several SME-centric platforms. By connecting these different platforms, BSB helps SMEs to access a much larger ecosystem of buyers, sellers, logistics service providers, financing, and digital solution providers more seamlessly. BSB utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to enable SMEs to discover prices and sales opportunities in a larger global marketplace, access various supply chains, and easily source and utilise relevant digital and financial solutions. In late 2019, MAS announced the successful completion of the BSB Phase One Proof-of- Concept (POC).

GlobalLinker will officially join and become a permanent and core member of the AMTD SpiderNet ecosystem, while AMTD will join GlobalLinker’s SME network. The two parties will work together to facilitate the digitalization of SMEs in Asia, help accelerate their global expansion, with Singapore as the strategic hub to showcase the power of the partnership. Through its proprietary SpiderNet ecosystem, AMTD will connect SMEs on GlobalLinker’s platform to AMTD’s global resources and network.

AMTD will become the preferred financial services partner of GlobalLinker, as well as for SMEs on GlobalLinker’s platform. AMTD will bring its ecosystem partners and subsidiaries such as but not limited to AMTD Digital, AMTD International, AMTD Risk Solutions, PolicyPal, CapBridge, FOMO Pay, Airstar Bank (one of the 8 virtual banks in Hong Kong, a joint-venture between AMTD and Xiaomi Corporation) and Singa Bank (subject to the approval of MAS for a digital wholesale bank license whereby AMTD is the lead and largest shareholder), to empower GlobalLinker and SMEs on the GlobalLinker platform.

Mr. Calvin Choi, AMTDs Chairman and CEO comments, “The strategic partnership between AMTD and GlobalLinker would leverage on AMTD’s strong foundation in the Greater Bay Area and connectivity with the global markets, and further enable SMEs to connect outside of Southeast Asia. AMTD Digital and our ecosystem partners’ one-stop digital offering will help SMEs to accelerate their

Digitalization, provide them with full lifecycle solutions, empower their globalization, and contribute to Business Sans Borders.”

Mr. Sameer Vakil, Co-Founder and CEO of GlobalLinker said, “At GlobalLinker, we are deeply committed to offering SMEs collective efficiencies and economies by building a global community. We have always believed in the power of partnership to build an SME ecosystem which can provide SMEs such efficiencies and economies in a more comprehensive manner. Our strategic partnership with AMTD, we will bring an entire ecosystem of like-minded companies and capabilities from AMTD & SpiderNet to GlobalLinker SMEs and likewise, will offer the best of GlobalLinker to all the SMEs within the AMTD ecosystem. This combined power will allow us both to better serve the business growth ambitions of SMEs, who are undoubtedly, the pillars of every economy.”

Mr. Mohanty, extended his congratulations to AMTD and GlobalLinker. He said that BSB aims to ignite a sea change in the way SMEs around the world can easily connect digitally with each other. He welcomes AMTD and GlobalLinker’s persistent efforts to empower SMEs and look forward to see the strategic alliance to contribute to the Phase Two Pilot of BSB, starting first in Singapore, to assist SMEs in their real transactions.

In Picture - Top Row left Sameer Vakil (cofounder & CEO GlobalLinker); right – Satyam Agrawal (President ASEAN & Global Head Financial Services at GlobalLinker) & Michelle Li (CEO, AMTD Digital); Middle Row left Calvin Choi (Chairman & CEO AMTD Global); right Jonathan Chen (Founder & CEO Capital Bridge Financial);

Bottom Row left Sopnendu Mohanty (Chief Fintech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore); right Val Yap (Founder & CEO PolicyPal);

AMTD has significant strategic layouts in Singapore to empower local entrepreneurs and community: Singapore is AMTD Digital’s headquarters and AMTD Group’s regional headquarters. AMTD, as a

Founding partner, is committed to providing long-term support to the Singapore FinTech Festival, which is the world's largest of its kind. AMTD is the first corporate founding member of the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN), for which our chairman Calvin Choi was invited to serve as its board member. In April 2020, AMTD partnered with AFIN to establish the S$50 million AMTD ASEAN- Solidarity Fund. In May 2020, AMTD, MAS, Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) announced the launch of a S$6 million MAS-SFA-AMTD FinTech Solidarity Grant to support Singapore-based FinTech firms amid the challenging business climate caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. AMTD is leading a consortium comprising of Xiaomi Corporation, Funding Societies and SP Group and has submitted an application for the Digital Wholesale Bank License in Singapore.

To consummate its one-stop digital financial solutions to Asian SMEs and consumers, AMTD Digital has recently announced several landmark transactions in Singapore’s FinTech space through its unique “fusion-in” programme, including the acquisitions of the controlling stakes in (i) PolicyPal, Singapore’s InsurTech pioneer and first graduate of MAS’ FinTech Sandbox; (ii) CapBridge Financial, Singapore’s first regulated securities exchange for digital assets and private companies and Singapore’s leading integrated private market ecosystem platform; and (iii) FOMO Pay, the one-stop QR code and digital payment solution provider in Southeast Asia. These acquisitions reflect AMTD’s fusion-in strategy by integrating innovative companies into its unique SpiderNet ecosystem, and its ambition to continue to build out its one-stop cross-market intelligent digital financial services platform. AMTD will continue to bring its capital markets expertise and extensive connections with global new economy companies to Southeast Asia, and empower more entrepreneurs in their innovation and development, and finally interconnect with the global markets.

About AMTD Group

AMTD Group, parent company of AMTD Digital and AMTD International, is a leading comprehensive financial services conglomerate, with businesses in investment banking, asset management, digital financial solutions; and non-financial services areas including strategic investments, real estate and education.

AMTD International (NYSE: HKIB; SGX: HKB), a subsidiary of AMTD Group, is the largest independent investment bank in Asia and one of Asia’s largest independent asset management companies, and has been a leading investor in FinTech and new economy sectors. AMTD International successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019, representing the first Hong Kong headquartered financial institution listed on NYSE. On April 8, 2020, AMTD International completed its successful listing on SGX-ST, which marks a series of historical milestones, including:

• The first company ever to be dual listed on NYSE and SGX;
• The first company featuring dual-class shares (DCS) listed on SGX;
• The largest financial institution headquartered in China and Hong Kong listed on SGX as measured by market capitalisation;
• The first Hong Kong financial institution listed on SGX;
• The largest company in terms of market capitalisation listed in Singapore year to date; and
• The first company to conduct a digital listing ceremony in

AMTD Digital, the digital solutions arm of AMTD Group headquartered in Singapore, covering digital financial services, digital media marketing and data intelligence, digital connectors and ecosystem,

And digital investments. AMTD Digital aims to build a one-stop, comprehensive, cross-market, and innovative digital financial services platform.

About GlobalLinker

GlobalLinker is an AI powered platform ‘Building a Global Community of Digitized SMEs’. It is a unique Business Networking solution dedicated to serve SMEs with the purpose to make ‘the business growth of SMEs globally, simpler, more profitable and enjoyable’. GlobalLinker has built a global community of over 300,000 SMEs from over 150 countries by Co-Branding with Financial Institutions, Corporations, Trade Associations and Governments to bring SMEs to a common platform. SMEs can access a range of solutions to build their Digital Presence (Digital Profile, e-Store, Product Catalog, Order & Inventory Management, Company Intranet, HRMS, etc.); Network & Collaborate (create new business connections and a rolodex of SME connections, using GlobalLinker’s patented technology, join relevant SME groups & events); have Up-to-Date Knowledge with curated business articles, news, discussions, events & webinars; access a range of Offers & Deals pre-negotiated for them using the ‘Collective Purchasing Power’ of SMEs on the Platform.

GlobalLinker has 10 Co-Branded programs in partnership with:

• Leading corporations - Mastercard, HSBC, ICICI Bank, Union Bank of Philippines, Siam Commercial Bank, Thailand; ; leading Telcom company - Vodafone Idea;
• Prominent Trade Associations - Retailer’s Association of India (RAI), Bombay Industries Association and
• Government Organizations - Telangana State in India and Federation of India Export Organizations (FIEO);

The over 300,000 SMEs on GlobalLinker have made more than a million business connections and are finding the benefits of being part of a single and growing business community. GlobalLinker is also one of the founding member and Technology Partner of the MAS’ Business Sans Borders (BSB) initiative.